December 7, 2023

Title: WATCH THE CANDLES BURN

Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

WAX NOSTALGIC (11A: Think fondly of the "before times")

AX TO GRIND (34A: Selfish hidden agenda)

X CHROMOSOMES (59A: Some genetic determinants of sex)

Theme synopsis: As we move through the theme answers, the CANDLE – represented by the word WAX – is disappearing (i.e. BURNing), which is illustrated by the letters of the word WAX disappearing. Moving down the puzzle, the theme answers start with WAX, then AX, then X.

Things I learned:

• ISAAC (45A: Yiddish novelist ___ Bashevis Singer) Polish-born Jewish American novelist ISAAC Bashevis Singer (1903-1991) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1978. Most of his books were published in Yiddish, and later translated into English. In addition to the Nobel Prize, ISAAC Bashevis Singer was awarded two U.S. National Book Awards, one in Children's Literature for A Day of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw (1970), and one in Fiction for A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories (1974).
• MLS (61D: Inter Miami org.) Inter Miami is not, as I first surmised... no, on second thought, I'm not going to admit my thought process here! Let's just say that I learned that Inter Miami, also known as Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, is a professional soccer club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The team belongs to the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• KIT (15A: Pam Grier's role on "The L Word") Pam Grier played Kate "KIT" Porter on the TV series The L Word (2004-2009). I have written about both Pam Grier and The L Word previously.
• IHOP (40A: Chain with a Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity combo) The Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity combo at IHOP consists of two eggs, two pieces of bacon or sausage, and two fruit-topped pancakes. IHOP brought this combo back in January of this year "for a limited time" (which looks like it may be over) to celebrate its 65th year.
• C-SPAN (51A: Congressional channel that is a nonprofit) After I read this clue, I started to fill in ESPN-C, before catching myself and realizing that's not a thing. (Hey, sometimes congress seems a bit like a sport lately.) C-SPAN, which stands for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is a nonprofit organization that airs congressional proceedings, and other happenings of the U.S. federal government.
• TOES (53A: Stegosaurs had three per foot) This is a fun animal fact! My appreciation of animal facts extends to animals that are extinct. Stegosaurs were herbivorous dinosaurs that had armored plates and a powerful spiked tail. The hind feet of the stegosaur each had three TOES, while the front feet had five TOES each.
• X CHROMOSOMES (59A: Some genetic determinants of sex) Hooray for science in the crossword! X CHROMOSOMES and their counterparts, Y CHROMOSOMES, are involved in genetic determination of sex in many organisms. The X CHROMOSOME is not named for its resemblance to the letter X, as all chromosomes are vaguely X-shaped.
• ACT (4D: Fulfill a Star Performer card in Cranium) Cranium is a board game originally released in 1998. The game has categories of cards that require players to take different actions: Star Performer - ACT, Creative Cat - draw or sculpt, Data Head - answer trivia, Word Worm - solve word puzzles.
• WAHOO (11D: Fish also known as ono) Ono is the Hawaiian name for the WAHOO, a fish found in tropical and subtropical areas.
• LION (17D: Simba or Nala) Simba and Nala are, of course, characters

  

  Willow

  from The LION King. Willow is delighted (she looks delighted, doesn't she...) to see her big cat cousin mentioned in the puzzle. 
• TOXIC (26D: ___ positivity (pressure to suppress negative emotions)) It's not that there's anything wrong with being positive, but sometime's life involves circumstances that are far from positive. The problem with TOXIC positivity, the pressure to always be positive regardless of the circumstances, is that it may prevent emotional coping. Those emotions sometimes viewed as negative play a role in helping us cope.
• HENNA (28D: Dye worn at some Sephardic weddings) Sephardic Jews are a Jewish diaspora associated with the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). HENNA ceremonies are part of the tradition at some Sephardic weddings. 

Geography review:

• ERIE (24A: Lake containing Rattlesnake Island) Rattlesnake Island is one of several islands known as the Lake ERIE Islands. Rattlesnake Island is considered part of the U.S. state of Ohio, and along with six other Lake ERIE islands, it is part of Put-in-Bay Township. The name of Rattlesnake Island comes from the rattlesnakes that formerly inhabited the island.
• NILE (31A: River that Moses turned to blood) The NILE River is the longest river in Africa. The NILE flows north into the Mediterranean Sea, passing through 11 countries. The clue here refers to a story from the book of Exodus, which relates a series of plagues inflicted on Egypt to convince the Pharaoh to free the enslaved Israelites. The first plague happened when Moses struck the waters of the NILE River with his staff, resulting in the river's water turning to blood.
• ARUBA (49A: Caribbean island where Chill beer is brewed) Balashi Brewery is located on the Caribbean island of ARUBA. Chill is one of the brewery's beers.
• ASIA (20D: Qatar's continent) Qatar is a country in ASIA that is located on the Qatar Peninsula off of the northeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar is surrounded on three sides by the Persian Gulf and borders Saudi Arabia to the south. Today we have both of our crossword-friends ASIA and ERIE in the grid. Despite the fact that we frequently see ASIA or ERIE in the grid, we only occasionally see them both in the grid. This is just the third time this year ASIA and ERIE have appeared together.
• DOHA (57D: Qatar's capital) Speaking of Qatar, the capital of Qatar is DOHA.

The Jewish festival Chanukah (also spelled Hanukkah) begins at sundown tonight. That means it's a great day for a Chanukah-themed puzzle from Rebecca Goldstein. This is the third year in a row that Rebecca Goldstein has treated us to a Chanukah puzzle: check out LIGHT FROM THE LEFT and SPIN THE DREIDEL. I enjoyed all the extra Jewish references that Rebecca fit into the clues and answers today, such as LOX, latkes, and matzo ball soup. The eight black squares diagonally down the center of the grid are a nice reminder that Chanukah lasts for eight nights. And is the grid circular as a nod to Chanukah gelt? Maybe. Thank you, Rebecca, for this puzzle that was a terrific way to start my Thursday. Chag sameach (happy holiday) to those celebrating Chanukah!